It's september, and universities in the UK will be resuming soon.



I'll give first-timers to UK some tips on how to succeed in UK universities. This would ensure that you make a merit or distinction in your course of study

1) Time keeping

Try to adjust quickly to good time keeping. you should probably spend a week getting used to this. Do not look outside in the morning to determine what the time is, as it might be very dark, yet it is already daytime.

There are no okadas to zoom u through traffic jams , so you must plan your time wel. Use alarm clocks if need be. also learn to measure your jorney times by using the 'transport for london' 'journey planner' tool.

Please click on this link to have a feel of the tool
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en

2) Group work

In class, you most likely will be exposed to groupwork were 3 to 5 of you are expected to work together to deliver a report. Some members of the group might be quite pushy, some extremely docile, and some 'just there'. The grades u make in ur group work wld impact on your overall grade, so if it is possible for you to chose ur team mates, then chose carefully

SORRY GUYS, THIS WAS MOVED TO THE WRONG THREAD, AND THEREFORE WRONG CONTEXT.

IT WAS MEANT FOR THOSE TRAVELLING TO THE UK FOR THEIR MASTERS OR PHD, AND WAS TO SHOW THEM HOW TO COPE AND EXCEL IN THE EDUCATIONAL SECTOR THERE. SO I WONT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE. KPELE

why na . i was enjoyin wat u were sayin. pls continue

clemmonce: why na . i was enjoyin wat u were sayin. pls continue

kpele again.....but if you have any particular question based on the objective of the thread, you can ask. I'll try my best to answer if its something I'm conversant with

3) Referencing

Referencing is very important and without it you could easilly fail, no matter how 'good' your essay or report is. Lets give some examples here:

An essay without references

Since the beginining of this century, scientists have strived to understand the origin of mankind. However, they have been largely unsuccessful. Darwin's supposedly grounded theory of evolution has been consistently torn to shred with new findings churned out almost daily by modern day scientists

An essay with references

Birmin (2002) suggests that since the beginining of this century, scientists have strived to understand the origin of mankind. However, Emeka (2008) is of the view that they have been largely unsuccessful. Darwin's supposedly grounded theory of evolution has been consistently torn to shred with new findings churned out almost daily by modern day scientists (see Funke 20099; Sahara 2010)

4) Hanging out with the best

If you were previously not strong in academics, you would do well to hang out with students that made 1st class and 2.1's. When you do so, keep an eye out for their study and lifestyle habits. Try to mirror them as effectively as possible. I love jollofing a lot, so my own strategy was to hang out with those with very good grades that also liked jollofing.

It worked like magic. ....Praise the lord!!

5) Reading skills, Speed reading and crunching 5 books in 3 days

If you're branching into a new line of study, lets say from science to business, you would soon discover that this could put you at a disadvantage in class.
You'd need to develop fast reading skills. You could become an expert in this in about 2 weeks. Try getting Ton Buzan's book on "Speed reading", it might prove extremely useful both in your university life and personal reading life.

This how you can utilize reading skills/speed reading in your academics
So, lets say you're giving an assignment with a 3 day deadline that requires you to read at least 5 books (each with some 500 pages).

-I would start by reading the assignment questions to understand the goal, and key words/ideas to look out for in my research
-I'll go to the library and pick up the 5 books and lay them side by side.
-I'll then start a process of 'scanning' the pages of each book. When scanning, your goal is to grasp the general thrust of the book and not full comprehension. With this, you should be a ble to finish each book in about 30 minutes.
-In total, I shoul'd be through with 5 books in about 2 hrs. I could then go out for cofee or flirt with a girl to step down, maybe 1 to 2 hrss

-While scanning, I'd have taken note of some chapters that satisfy my assignment
-I'll read the assignment question again
- then scan the books the second time. But this time much slower, especially in the important chapters
-This should take about 3 to 4 hours.
-I'll then attempt to spend some poor quality time (about (1 to 2hrs) on my assignment sketching an answer and also clicking on NairaLand

- having successfully spent a full day in the library, I'd then pack up my books and seek out a girl that I can escort home. U never can tell where this could lead to. Completion of the assignment might have to wait till day 2

6) Do not plagiarize

Plagiarism is taken very seriously in the UK, and you would be sanctioned severely for it.
Plagiarism in simple terms is copying someone else's work without giving credit to the original writer. For example, if you present my writeups as your own in academic circles, and someone finds out that I had written it earlier, you would be deemed an academic fraud.

Any issues anyone is going through in a UK university and needs help with?